Lock-jaw wrench



(lfu'xodel.)

E. L. KEITH.

LOOK JAW WBENUH.

Patented Sept.- 15, 1896.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ELMER Il. KEITH, OF MOUNT VERNON, IO\\'A.

LOCK-JAW WRENCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 567,945, dated September 15, 1896.

Application filed October 14, 1895. Serial No. 565,690. (N0 nwdld To all whom may concer/L.-

Be it known that I, ELMER L. KEITH, a citizen of the United States, residing at Mount Vernon, in the county of Linn, State of Iowa, have invented a new and useful IVrenCh, of which the following is a specication.

My invention relates to improvements in wrenches in which a toothed or notched bar carrying the head of the wrench Operates in a hollow handle in conjunction with an oscillating rear jaw controlled by a cam-lever and the objects of my invention are, first, to provide instantaneous adjustment; second, a iirm grip on the nut or object to be operated. upon, and, third, to lock the wrench to the nut when it is desirable to do so. I attain these objects by the mechanism illustrated by the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure i is a side elevation showing the wrench closed as it appears when grasping an object, and Fig. is a side elevation showing the wrench open ready to be adjusted to the object.

Similar letters refer to similar parts throughout both the views.

The plates C C constitute the framework of the structure and form the sides of a hollow box. or handle in which the working parts operate. Between the upper edges and near the front end of this handle is pivoted a camlevcr F, which when closed forces and holds the sliding bar A in engagement with the notched spring or back 1) and also forces the jaw l forward uponr the nut or object and holds them in position bythe engagement ol' the tail end ot' the lever with the upturncd and hooked end K of the back i). When the lever is released, it is thrown open by the spring (l, and being eccentrieally hung on its pivot when it begins to open the circular head recedes from the jaw 13 and raises from the bar A, thus allowing the jaw l5 to recede from the nut and the bar A to disengage from its counterpart I) and slide into or out oi' the handle for proper adjustment. The bar A, carrying the head or outer jaw of wrench, is made in one piece similar to other wrenches and is provided with V-shaped notches on its lower edge,which engage with corresponding notches in the back D and serve to hold the head lirmly in p place when operating on the nut, and being loosely fitted through jaw B and between plates C C slides easily in or out by its own weight, thus making it easily and quicklyadjustable to any-sized nut or object for which it is intended.

The jaw B is made with a mortise through to allow the easy play ofthe bar A, and has an elliptical lug L on the upper end projecting from its rear side and cooperating with lever I and a projecting lug O on the lower end projecting to the rear and cooperating with spring E.

The back D is riveted in between the lower edge of plates C and turns up at its rear end and forms a hook K to hold the lever down when closed, its front end being grooved to conform to the notches or teeth in bar A and servingto hold bar A\, asbelore described.

l am aware that there are wrenches in use having notched bars,slidingjaws,eamlevers, ttc., but I am not aware that they have all been successfully combined in one wrench to make a perfect and valuable tool.

Therefore what I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In a wrench the combination of the hollow handle consisting of two side plates C (Nr and the back D, having serratious on its upper edge and the hook K, of the jaw B, secured to said handle, the sliding jaw A and its shank u, said shank being serrated on its lower edge, the cam-lever F pivoted between said side plates and adapted to oseillate jaw l, and force the serratious of the bar A, into engagement with the serrations ot' the back I), and to engage with its outer cud with thehook K, and spring E tending to swing the jaw l rearwardly, substantially as described.

2. In a wrench the combination ot' the oscillating jaw l having mortise therethrough and elliptieally-shaped lug L,projecting rearwardly from its top end and a rearwardlyprojecting lip or lug O, at its lowerend, with the iixed jaw having its shank passing through said mortise, the hollow handle receiving said shank and having the back I), to which is secured the oscillating jaw, the lever I", secured to said handle and adapted to engage the elliptieally-shaped lug on the oseillatin g j aw B, and to force the shank a into engagement with the piece I), and spring IC IOO acting on said lug on lthe lower end of jaw B, substantially as described.

3. In a wrench the combination of a hollow handle having the lever F pivoted in its upper front end, the spring G, riveted or held in place near its upper edge and the back D, riveted in its lower edge and provided with an upwardly-turned and hooked end K, of the swinging jaw B, pivoted to the handle and provided with the lugs L, and O, the jaw A, having the shank d, provided with V-shaped teeth on its lower edge and passing through jaw B, and into the hollow handle, the lever F pivoted in the handle and having a earn-head adapted to engage lug L, and swinging jaw B, and move shank a into engagement with back D, lche rear end of said lever being adapted to engage with the hook K, when the jaws are in use, and to be raised by spring G, when released from said hook, and the spring E, secured to hollow handle and engaginglug O, to swing Ithe jawB rearn Wardly, substantially as described.

ELMER L. KEITH. Witnesses:

J oHN E. KYLE, MINARD LoZIER. 

